Orthodox Calendar

Forefeast of the Nativity of Christ.Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, bishop of Antioch (107).Repose of Righteous John of Kronstadt (1908).Venerable Ignatius, archimandrite of the Kiev Caves (1435).St. Anthony, archbishop of Voronezh (1846).St. Philogonius, bishop of Antioch (323).St. Daniel II, archbishop of Serbia (1338)."Novodvorskaya" and "Lenkovskaya" (Novgorod-Severny) named "Rescuer of the Drowning" Icons of the Mother of God.New Martyr John of the isle of Thasos (1652) (Greek).The Scripture Readings

Holy Hieromartyr Ignatius of Antioch, the God-Bearer, Troparion, Tone IV 
As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles/ and didst occupy their
throne,/ thou didst find thine activity to be a passage to divine vision,/ O
divinely inspired one./ Wherefore, ordering the word of truth,/ thou didst
suffer for the Faith even to the shedding of thy blood.// O hieromartyr
Ignatius, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

Forefeast of the Nativity, Troparion, Tone IV 
Make ready, O Bethlehem!/ Open unto all, O Eden!/ Adornthyself, O
Ephratha!/ For the Tree of life hath blossomed forth from the Virgin in the
cave./ Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise,/ wherein lieth a divine
garden,/ eating from whence we live,/ not dying like Adam.// Christ is born to
raise up His image which before was fallen.

Kontakion of the Forefeast, Tone III "Today the Virgin" 
Today the Virgin cometh to give birth ineffably/ to the preeternal Word in
the cave./ Dance, O world! And having heard this,/ with the angels and shepherds
glorify// the preeternal God, Who is to appear as a little babe.

Kontakion of the Hieromartyr, Tone III "Today the Virgin" 
The luminous day of thy radiant struggles/ proclaimeth beforehand to all Him
Who hath been Born in the cave;/ for thirsting to delight in His love,/ thou
didst hasten to be devoured by the wild beasts.// Wherefore, thou hast been
called the God-bearer, O most wise Ignatius.

Righteous John of Kronstadt, Troparion, in Tone IV 
With the apostles thy sound hath gone forth into all the earth;/ with the
confessors thou didst endure sufferings for Christ;/ thou didst re­semble the
holy hierarchs in thy preaching of the Word;/ and with the venerable hast thou
shone forth in the grace of God./ Therefore, the Lord hath exalted the depths of
thy humility above the heavens,/ and hath given us thy name as a source of most
wondrous miracles./ Where­fore, O wonderworker, who livest in Christ forever,/
take pity in thy love upon people in misfortunes;/ and hearken unto thy
children,/ who with faith call upon thee,// O righteous John, our beloved
pastor.

Or this Troparion, in Tone IV 
O wonderworker, who livest in Christ for­ever,/ take pity in thy love upon
people in mis­fortunes;/ hearken unto thy children who with faith call upon
thee,/ expecting compassionate aid from thee,// O John of Kronstadt, our beloved
pastor.

Kontakion, in Tone IV 
O father John, namesake of grace, who wast chosen by God from childhood, who
in thy youth miraculously received from Him the gift of learning, and in a dream
wast most gloriously called to be a priest: Entreat Christ God, that we may all
be with thee in the kingdom of heaven.

 vigil for great feasts; a more festive service where all of the unfixed hymns are dedicated to the feast.  "vigil" to a certain saint when All Night vigil is celebrated. The order of the service is similar to a Polyeleos (magnification) service, in that small vespers, great vespers and matins are combined (from this comes the vigil) and that there is the blessing of breads and the anointing with oil at the end of matins.  "cross", "Polyeleos", "with the Polyeleos", "Polyeleos service", that is the type of service during which the "Polyeleos" (Praise/Magnification) is sung during matins (the majestic singing of the 134 and 135 psalms with verses); in addition, during this service there is a reading from the Gospel, the prokeimenon, gradual antiphons, the canon with 8 troparions, the praises and Great Doxology are sung, and during vespers "Blessed is the man" is sung (first "Glory" of the 1st kathisma), there is an entrance, Old Testament readings (parameia) and during lityia all of the verses may be sung to the saint.  "doxology", "with doxology" during this service to the saint it is proper to sing the Great Doxology at the end of matins (in services of a lower rank, the doxology is read), also at this service are sung several Sunday Theotokions, sedalions after the kathisma (psaltery reading) to the saint, the katavasia during the canon, also at the end of matins are sung the praise verses, the Great Doxology, and the entire ending of matins follows the order of a feast.  "six verse", "up to six"; all six stikhera of "Lord, I cry" are sung to the saint, there is a stikhera for "Glory" of the Apotischa for both vespers and matins; troparion to the saint, and the canon of matins is sung to the saint in six troparions., , no sign  "without a sign"; the most ordinary, daily service to a saint, to whom it is customary to sing only three stikhera at "Lord I cry" and the canon of matins in four troparions. There may not be a troparion to the saint.